1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to animal cages and more particularly to a bird cage having a bar-formed enclosure surrounded by a readily removable deflection screen for funneling bird thrown seeds into a removable tray below the enclosure.
2. Prior Art
Cages providing living space for birds in a domestic setting are well known and been in use for any years.
U.S. Pat. No. 99,164 discloses one early bird cage that comprises a base supporting a circular shaped enclosure. Hooks releasably hold the base and enclosure together. Extending outward from about a bottom ring of the enclosure is a cup-shaped seed guard.
A bird cage having an improved seed guard or screen is set out in U.S. Pat. No. 1,186,782. This screen includes a set of four corner sections. Each section has a pair of perpendicularly positioned arms that incline upward and outward. The arms of two sections have bead-formed upper and lower edges that slidably fit into respective upper and lower guide edges of arms of the other sections. To attach the screen to the cage, the lower edges of the section arms first are placed on a peripheral bottom flange of the cage. Then, hooks carried by the screen arms fit over a horizontal bracing strip of an enclosure of the cage.
A still further bird cage seed catch or guard is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,460,102 and includes a set of flanges that extend upward and outward from a base pan. Ends of the flanges join to form mitered corners respectively held together by junction plates. As joined, the flanges define an inner, rectangular shaped space for disposition of a cage. Each junction plate includes a slidable finger piece having an offset lower end. These finger piece ends are selectively insertable into respective openings in bottom corners of an enclosure of the cage to attach the enclosure to the base pan and seed guard.
Next, a bird cage having a detachable, frame-shaped seed guard is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,662,687. This guard includes upward and outward inclined side and end flanges joining at mitered corners. Bottom edges of the flanges define an inner opening. Upward extending lugs spaced about the flange bottom edges interact with a lower part of an enclosure of the cage to effect alignment therebetween. Hooks, pivotally attached to the respective flanges, then secure the seed guard to the enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,107 discloses a more recent animal cage. This cage includes an upper enclosure having a mesh floor. Located below this floor is a newspaper-lined funnel having a bottom end that fits into a disposable bag carried inside a sack.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,544 shows a bird cage having a seed guard that includes a set of corner brackets. Each bracket has shallow, V-shaped wings that connect with an offset bottom flange. An expandable slot in this bottom flange fits about respective lower ends of posts of an enclosure of the cage. As fitted, each bracket is supported in an upwardly and outwardly position by a part connecting an upper end of the bracket to the corner post of the enclosure. The guard lastly includes a set of panels sized so that respective ends of the panels fit under retaining flanges on the bracket wings.